an versus man', 'manversus nature' and 'man versus himself'. Hamlet's fight with Laertes in Ophelia's grave andthe subsequent duel would both easily classify as 'man versus man' conflicts. Man also struggles with nature in this play, most notably in the form of Ophelia's drowning andHamlet's crossing the sea to England - although the latter conflict plays more of abackground role. The 'man versus himself' conflict is most directly exposed in Hamlet's famous soliloquy,where he is wrestling with his conscience. The realization he comes to in this soliloquy isthat we are afraid to kill ourselves because we do not know what is to be found afterdeath. Another 'man versus himself' conflict is Claudius' inability to pray. He cannotreally justify his past deeds. For him this is actually another step into darkness. Hamlet may be a thinking man; however, this does not mean he actually likes to think. Although he might have liked to think in the time preceding the play, when the time hascome for him to take action, he cannot because of this urge to contemplate. His capacityof thinking becomes a handicap rather than an advantage. And this is not even the mostpainful or tragic part of the Hamlet character. The biggest problem is that he is aware ofthis. Not only is he incapable of acting without thinking, he knows that this is the case,which makes the burden even heavier. Hamlet cannot face reality. It is already atraumatic experience for him when he has to believe the words of the ghost, and actuallythe ghost's demanding him to act on this information is too much for him. Hamlet is however, a man of decision. But he is also contemplative. He needs to thinkin order to justify his actions, and his intellectual characteristics are the major differencebetween Claudius and himself. Hamlet is very aware of the relationship between actionand reaction and realizes that he has to proceed very carefully. In the play, Claudius ...
